Lamp socket



L. BURNS LAMP SOGKET June 4, 1946. 1

Filed Feb. 13, 1943 x Laurence Bums w iNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY EAULfilNi Lil SOCKET Laurence Burns. Swampscott, Mass, assignor to Sylvania Electric Products inc, Salem, Mass, a corporation oi Massachusetts Application February 13, 19413, Serial No. 457$,83l

2 (Ilaims. f1

This invention relates to supporting devices and has particular reference to'sockets for mount-' ing lamps.

An object of this invention is to provide an improvedlamp socket.

Another object is to provide an improved ocket for elongated fluorescent lamps.

sociated app ratus may be accomplished by se- Further objects, advantages and features will sectioned view of the front of. the socket of Fi ure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the socket of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is an illustration of the use of a pair of such sockets in supporting a fluorescent lamp, with one socket showing a. back covering plate such as is used to cover the rear recesses illustrated in Figure 2.

The socket shown and described in illustration of this invention is of the type used as supports and onnectors for elongated tubular fluorescent lamps. Such an assemblyis shown in Figure 5. The material of the main body I and the back cover plate 2 (Figure 5), is preferably porcelain or other ceramic or suitable electrically insulating material. The electrical connection of the lamp through the socket is made byengaging the contact pins of the lamp base with resilient contact fingers 3 mounted in "the socket i. The base pins are clamped between the fingers 3 and the upright 4 in the socket I (see dotted forms 5 in Figure 1). In order to facilitate this clamping action, steps 8 are formed in the fingers 3. As in Figure 2, the fingers I extend downwardly in the socket I within recesses formed in the back thereof and are each held in place by the combination of resilient engagement with abutments it Q and 8 and the confining effect of the backing plate 2 overlying the recesses and held to the l 1: i by pins ill. sprung from their normal set to engage the abutments E, 8 and a, and may be removed by removing cover plate 22 and pulling them straight back out oi their recesses. Abutments i prevent upward movement, abutments t prevent downward movement. and abutments s press the fingers ll laterally against a vertical central wall it, and provide fixed pressure points to aid in providing The fingers t are slightly curing connecting wires to the connectingscrews 02 mounted in the lower portions of the fingers 3, as in Figure 1. Arch openings it are formed in the socket i to provide an exit for such connecting wires and yet permit a flush and firm mountingof the socket ion a support.

The mounting of the socket may be accomplishedsby inserting a washer in the slot I4 and mounting a bolt downwardly through the washer and in the vertical slot l5.

The upper portion of the socket l is formed with a view to supp rting the lamp by receiving and holding the base pins Q thereof and with a view to facilitating insertion and removal of these plug as well as firmly and emciently holding them in assembled and operative relation with respect to the socket I.

A particular purpose in the formation of the upper portion of the socket i is to provide a con tral guide and divider stud ll about which the lamp base pins I may be completely rotated; in combination with a cros plate I! to provide a backing and guide for the pins 5; and the support 4 on which the stud It is mounted so that the support 4 provides the only support for the stud It, with the cross plate I! and the assembly of the support ,4, and pin ll, positioned in vertically spaced relation with respect to each other. Support 4, if desired, may in alternate structures, extend from above or either side instead of from below, as shown, as long as it remain the only support [or the stud I6, with a clearance in the direction opposite that of the support.

As may be seen in Figure 1, a substantially equilateral triangular openingis provided in the front face of socket l, and when the lamp is is mounted by the sockets, as Figure 5, the base ping a extend through the opening It. In order to iacilitate assembly and disassembly of the lamp it} and the sockets l. a slot 20 is formed in the top of the socket i, and this slot connects directly with the opening it so that the lamp l9 and the sockets i, may be assembled or disas sembled by varying the pins 5 into or out of the opening ill by way of the slot iii The stud it is located substantially centrally of the opening it and directly beneath the slot 2t. Thus the stud acts as a guide for the pins 5 as they are in sorted or removed from, or rotated in, the opening II. I

Directly beneath the stud I8 i a platform 2i, and above and to each side of the stud it are angled surfaces 22, in alignment with the adjacent angled side oi the triangle formation of the opening ll. These surfaces act as cam surfaces against which the pins, bear as they are moved in the opening ill, and provide line con-- tacts as an aid in keeping the pins 5 properly aligned.

' The topmost front portion of the socket I is assembly of the pin 16 with the upright 4 is such v as to leave a shoulder 21 against which the crosspiece 25 may bear as a support. The plate 2 has an opening into which an abutment 28 extends from the Wall ii. This arrangement, in combination with the laterally extending legs 29 of the plate, serves to properly locate and seat the plate 2 in the socket I.

The entire structure of the body i is preferably moulded or otherwise formed as an integral structure, including the tud i8.

What I claim is:

1. A lamp socket of the type used to hold and energize a lamp through contact pins in its base -comprising a body portion of insulating material having a lamp base pin receiving opening in the upper extremity of said body presenting an upwardly opening channel through which said pins enter the opening, a pair of resilient contact fingers extending into said opening acting to establish electric contact with and hold said pins. a stud located centrally in and extending axially of said opening and a tapered supporting arm formed integral with. said body, disposed base downward and extending only partially across said opening at the rear thereof to form the sole support for said stud.

2.- A lamp socket of the type used to hold and energize a lamp through contact pins in its base comprising a body portion of insulating material having a lamp base pin receiving opening in the upper extremity of said body presenting an upwardly opening channel, through which said pin; enter the opening. a pair of resilient contact fingers extending into said opening acting to establish electric contact with and to grip said pins, a stud located centrally in and extending axially of said opening, a tapered supporting arm formed integral with said body, disposed base downward I and extending only partially across said opening at the rear thereof to form the sole support for said stud, a platform lying below and parallel to said stud and disposed in the plane of the bottom edge of said opening to form a partial bottom wall thereof and across plate extending transversely of the upper portion of said opening at the rear thereof, said plate being located in vertically spaced relation with respect to said stud and its supporting LAURENCE BURNS. 

